Many modern vehicles are equipped with navigation aid (“nav-aid”) systems. These nav-aid systems can include position tracking (PT) capability, electronic map displays, route planning capabilities, turn-by-turn driving directions, local point of interest (POI) identification (e.g., restaurants, fuel stations, parks, entertainment, motels and hotels, etc.), and many other functions. It is common for the position tracking (PT) capability to be provided by a global positioning system (GPS) receiver built into the vehicle, but other types of PT capability can also be used (e.g., dead reckoning, local beacons, cell phones, etc.) alone or in combination with GPS. Nav-aid systems typically include a display on which the nav-aid information is presented and a user input where any of the above-listed and other types of nav-aid information may be requested by the user. The user input device can be in the form of a physical keyboard, a virtual display touch-screen based input, a rotary and/or pushbutton input method, or combinations thereof. As used herein, the terms “buttons”, “keys”, “keyboard” and “user input” are intended to include these and any other means by which the user can communicate with the nav-aid system.
It is important in connection with vehicle operation to avoid activities that may be distracting to the driver. Accordingly, it is common with present day nav-aid systems to limit the nav-aid functions that can be requested by a user while the vehicle is moving. This is usually accomplished by disabling the nav-aid input device or functions when the vehicle is in motion, so that the nav-aid input keys and keyboard functions are not operable. Accordingly, these disabled keys or functions are said to be “locked out.” Persons of skill in the art will understand that “lock-out” may be accomplished in any numbers of ways, as for example and not intended to be limiting, by powering down the input device, by blocking the input device from sending signals to the nav-aid controller, by disabling various keys or control buttons on the input device (or input screen), or by other means. As used herein, the words “lock-out”, “locked-out”, “disabled” or equivalent are intended to include any means for rendering various input functions inoperable. When the vehicle stops, the lock-out is removed and the nav-aid inputs are once again enabled. While this “all or nothing” approach minimizes driver distraction related to the nav-aid system in a moving vehicle, under some circumstances it is more restrictive than may be needed. Further, under certain circumstances, such a blanket lock-out can prevent the vehicle occupants from asking for and obtaining important traffic information (e.g., detour ahead, etc.). Thus, a more flexible approach is desirable.
Accordingly, there exists an ongoing need to provide a navigation aid system and method which permits various nav-aid functions to be accessed under circumstances where driver distraction is minimal, even when the vehicle is moving. It is desirable that such a system and method, as much as possible, use existing capabilities already available in the vehicle. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.